Customer Reviews

Sarah Winnemucca (American Indian Lives)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A simply told tale of the complex life of a complex woman -- I did not find it dry or academic at all. I cannot judge the quality of the research, as I am not familiar with Winnemucca's life, but the biography appears both frank and well-rounded. I enjoyed the way in which the author wove contemporary sources and Paiute folklore into her story. It's not an especially sophisticated book (for good or for ill) but it is not without complexity. Nineteenth century U.S. cultural and political constraints are clearly illustrated, along with Sarah's personal life and the tribulations facing the Paiutes & other Native Americans of that era. I think it would be of interest to anyone interested in 19th century women, Native Americans, or the frontier.

Read AFTER you read Sarah's book. Straightens out small, insignifficant "errors" made by Sarah. No fiction here.

I recommend "buy."

This book does NOT take the place of reading Sarah's book.

a piece of historical treasure, how often do you see a book written by an indian woman from the 1800's? it is a must own for anyone remotely interested in indians, or american history.

Zanjani's writing is academic and somewhat dry. The historical research has not advanced much since Gae Whitney Canfield's "Sarah Winnemucca of the Northern Paiutes" but Zanjani does incorporate new theoretical approaches to interpreting Sarah's own memoir and place in history. The bibliography then, is useful for scholars, but the the prose is further bogged down with unresolved (and unresolvable) intellectual issues best left to academics. Try Canfield's well researched and easily readable prose instead.